| Recipient Location | The Revd. J.H. Rawnsley, Halton, near Shipley, Lincolnshire |
| Transcript or Index | Government House Hobart 14th Feby 1843
My dear Catherine
Although I have written to you
lately, I must now write again to offer you my
hearty congratulations on your marriage, the
account of which reached us a few weeks ago.
You seem to have had a very gay wedding. I have
as yet only heard of it from Aunt Betsey. The
first notice we had of it, was from a newspaper.
I know your health is benefitted by your residence
at Rome were it not that the society must
necessarily be composed chiefly of Roman Catholics,
I should in…? it a delightful place to live in
I almost envy you visiting the beautiful ruins
of ancient splendour. I hope you will write me
a long description of them; and of everything you
see that is novel & interesting. There are perhaps
few countries so completely destitute of ruins as
V.D. Land, all is new and English – there is not a vestige
of the ancient inhabitants expect perhaps beds of
Proten[?] shells, which are found occasionally on
[page 2]
hills near the coast, where the natives, many of
whom lived chiefly on shell fish, are supposed to
have had their encampments. New Holland even
is not so destitute of traces of the beings to whom it
once belonged, as this island is, for you sometimes meet
with a few of the natives there, and in those parts
which are deserted by them, a wigwam or a burial
place may sometimes by seen, but here there is
nothing of the sort – there are now no natives at large
on the island – the last were caught ^about a fortnight ago^ after they
had committed some robberies in the North of
the island, and immediately despatched to Flinders
island, so that our little native girl is now the
only one remaining here. She is improving,
I think, though it will probably be a long time before
she becomes quite civilized.
I suppose before this reaches England, you will have
returned there, and I hope that we shall find you
comfortably settled in a pretty parsonage – pray
have plenty of roses, jessamine & honeysuckle about
it, you are I think fond of flowers, so I hope you will
have a nice garden, tastefully laid out.
It is still quite uncertain as to when we shall
Return home. Papa may be recalled any day or may
[page 3]
Be kept here much longer. Lord Stanley’s answer
to his Despatch respecting Mr Montagu came a
few weeks ago, and a most disagreeable one it was,
and what is worse still, a copy of it has been sent
out here by Mr Montagn, and lies on the table
of his particular (members of Council0
for public inspection. Papa immediately sent home
a strong remonstrance * also stating that unless
Lord Stanley will grant him a public acknowledge-
ment of his entire confidence in his Government
he must beg to resign. Upon the answer to that,
therefore, unless he is recalled before, depends the
continuance of his stay here, he is I think now
tired of the Govt though quite willing to serve his
Sovereign as long ^as,^ and in whatever way she may think
proper. I am glad to tell you that he continues in
good health and spirits – we shall of course be very
anxious to know how his remonstrance is received
and what will be the issue of the event – but we shall
probably have very nearly a year to wait. In the mean
time, it is not impossible that Mama may be returning
to England – She has not been well for the last two
months – indeed about a week after I last wrote to
you, she had a severe nervous attack, from which,
[page 4]
though she is a good deal better, she has not recovered,
her spirits still are week, and the least painful
excitement upsets her. She has been strongly recommended
to try complete change of air & scene, and on this account,
as well as to see her father & to consult the doctors in
England, she had wished to return in H.M.S. Vindictive.
Capt Nicolas however declined taking her & she didn’t
wish to take a passage in a merchantman going direct
to England full of Tasmanians, but should any good
opportunity occur she will in all probability avail herself
of it. Sophy is writing to you she has not been well lately –
you know she is at all times a great invalid. Papa and
Mama desire their love, and to write with me in kind
[crossed on right]
Congratulations on
your marriage
and best wishes
for your marital
happiness.
At present I know
Drummond only
by report but
I hope we shall one
day meet, and as
he is now on the
list of my Cousins,
I may perhaps
venture to offer him
my kind regards.
Mr Gell recollects
him very well, as
well as the appellation
of “Mother Gell” for
which he says he
used to […?] him,
to use a school
boys phrase – I can
think of no better one.
[crossed on left]
I hope Willingham
is getting on at
college, & likes
his life there.
Is he going into the
Church or the Law?
Mama has named
the parish at the
Huon Willingham.
I think I have
given you an
account of her
settlement of
Huon Fernlands.
It is getting on
very well and the
people are now about
to subscribe for a
Church. Mama
built them a
small Chapel,
but they have no
Clergyman, if
[crossed on page 1]
however they can raise a sufficient ^£300^ sum towards the erection of a
Church, Government will double it and they will then, when the
Church is built, be entitled to a clergyman. This is the case
With all the Churches; both English, Presbyterian & Roman Catholic
in this Colony & N.S. Wales. We are daily expecting Mr
Bicheno our new Colonial Secretary, and in a few months we hope
to see our Bishop. Hobart will then be a city, but I am half
afraid it will be the city of Hobartown, or ton. I hope not I am
sure for it sounds very ridiculous – The bishop is appointed to
the See of Tasmania, not V.D. Land so that it is hoped that
ungly name will be discontinued. I hope you take on the Tasmanian
Journal – you really ought to do so, you will get a good deal of informa
tion respecting the Colony from it. The fifth number, which
completes the first Volume, has just come out, it contains an
account of some beautiful N. Zealand ferns named after Mama.
But I must conclude believe me dearest Catherine
ever your affect^ate^ Cousin
Eleanor I Franklin
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